make-IT-safe main page
 End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes
Children’s Charities Coalition for Internet Safety
www.make-IT-safe.net

 

Sample letter to local media
please adapt as required

Dear __________________

I am/we are writing to urge your [newspaper/radio station/TV programme] to highlight a global campaign underway to ensure children and young people are safe and protected online and in new information technologies.

The make-IT-safe campaign by child rights organisations in 65 countries is aimed at making the IT industry take responsibility for ensuring that its products and services are safe for children and young people. Parents, teachers, governments and children all have their part to play. But only the IT industry can provide the technical and financial resources to ensure the safety of children and young people.

We all know that the internet and other interactive communications technologies can be hugely beneficial to children and young people for their educational development, and as a source of enjoyment. However, we also know the use of these technologies can expose children and young people to serious risks, including:

• An explosion in the production and distribution of child pornography online.
• Resulting sexual abuse of children to make pornography circulated online.
• Sexual predators using chat rooms and messaging to contact and ‘groom’ children for sexual abuse, often with tragic consequences.
• Children being encouraged to post online personal details, photos and videos of themselves and others, or to send them via email or mobile phones to strangers.
• Exposing children and young people to abusive and damaging materials online, whether legal or illegal.

Children and young people are especially at risk as leading users of all kinds of online and interactive media – internet, chat rooms, news groups, web cams, mobile phones, and online and offline gaming. Some governments, law enforcement agencies and IT companies are acting to protect children online. But it’s not enough and it’s time for that to change.

The IT industry and governments around the world must act now to ensure children and young people enjoy the benefits of new information technologies without risk of harm. The IT industry must collaborate at home and abroad on standards, protocols and working tools to help parents, teachers and children to stay safe online. The IT companies should also fund wide-ranging public education and awareness campaigns, in co-operation with government and community organisations.

Governments must adopt policies to ensure the IT industry makes its products and services safe for children and young people. Law enforcement agencies and the judiciary need to co-operate internationally to stop the exploitation and abuse of children through new information technologies, and to ensure proper care and protection for children harmed by such abuse.

I/we look forward to your media organisation taking up these issues in your news coverage and to challenge local IT leaders and government representatives to respond. I/we also urge your media organisation and your readers/listeners/viewers to support making children and young people safe online by signing the make-IT-safe petition at www.make-IT-safe.net . For more information about the issues raised in this letter, please contact me/us or info@make-IT-safe.net .

Yours ____________________